31 aug 2016
Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt’s North Sinai province and Palestine’s Gaza Strip for three days to accommodate Palestinian pilgrims. The Egyptian government repeatedly stressed that it would like to normalize the opening of the border checkpoint. However, the continued impasse between the Al-Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority and Hamas has thus far prevented any progress in that regard.
The Palestinian Embassy in the Egyptian capital Cairo reports that the Rafah border crossing will be open on Tuesday – Thursday.
Egyptian authorities decided to open the border crossing to allow 2,901 pilgrims from the coastal Palestinian enclave to travel to Mecca via Cairo International Airport. The pilgrims will participate in the hajj in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where they will participate in the circumambulation around the Grand Kaaba.
Egyptian authorities frequently open the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian reasons. The administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi repeatedly stressed that Egypt would like to normalize the opening of the border crossing and plans to permanently open the border checkpoint were well underway last year.
In 2015 al-Sisi and the Palestinian Authority reached an agreement on normalizing the opening of the Rafah border crossing. Al-Sisi stated that Egypt had agreed to training Palestinian border guards. The Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah for its part, said that the agreement would result in the opening of the Rafah border crossing while bypassing territory controlled by Hamas.
Egypt, for its part, stressed that it would like to normalize the opening of the Rafah border crossing as soon as possible, provided that the Palestinian side of the border is controlled by the official Palestinian government instead of being controlled by any particular Palestinian faction, regardless whether it be a Palestinian government governed by Al-Fatah, Hamas or other parties.
Senior Palestinian diplomat and aide to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Azzam al-Ahmad, told the press in November 2015 that an agreement had recently been reached in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Al-Ahmad said that the agreement aimed at opening the Rafah border crossing to the maximum extend possible to allow students, laborers, medical patients as well as commercial goods through the border.
An implementation of the agreement would have broken years of Israel’s blockade against the coastal Palestinian enclave while it would take the wind out of the sails of elements within Hamas who have been involved in the insurgency in Egypt’s North Sinai province after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood linked Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Hamas, for its part, reviewed the agreement with skepticism, raising questions about the viability of its implementation. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said that Hamas had not been officially informed about the agreement through the appropriate channels, indicating that Hamas was likely to oppose it.
Al-Azzam, for his part, commented on the point, saying that Hamas would have to answer to the people of Gaza if it opposed the agreement and to explain to them why it opposed an agreement that could break years of siege on Gaza.
The continued impasse between the Al-Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas has thus far prevented the implementation of the agreement, of which the control of the Palestinian side of the border by Palestinian government officials is the main issue.
As long as this impasse continues, it will be the residents of the Gaza Strip who will have to rely on goods smuggled through tunnels and the control over their lives and economy by rivaling factions and Mafia-like black-market structures.
The Palestinian Embassy in the Egyptian capital Cairo reports that the Rafah border crossing will be open on Tuesday – Thursday.
Egyptian authorities decided to open the border crossing to allow 2,901 pilgrims from the coastal Palestinian enclave to travel to Mecca via Cairo International Airport. The pilgrims will participate in the hajj in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where they will participate in the circumambulation around the Grand Kaaba.
Egyptian authorities frequently open the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian reasons. The administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi repeatedly stressed that Egypt would like to normalize the opening of the border crossing and plans to permanently open the border checkpoint were well underway last year.
In 2015 al-Sisi and the Palestinian Authority reached an agreement on normalizing the opening of the Rafah border crossing. Al-Sisi stated that Egypt had agreed to training Palestinian border guards. The Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah for its part, said that the agreement would result in the opening of the Rafah border crossing while bypassing territory controlled by Hamas.
Egypt, for its part, stressed that it would like to normalize the opening of the Rafah border crossing as soon as possible, provided that the Palestinian side of the border is controlled by the official Palestinian government instead of being controlled by any particular Palestinian faction, regardless whether it be a Palestinian government governed by Al-Fatah, Hamas or other parties.
Senior Palestinian diplomat and aide to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Azzam al-Ahmad, told the press in November 2015 that an agreement had recently been reached in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Al-Ahmad said that the agreement aimed at opening the Rafah border crossing to the maximum extend possible to allow students, laborers, medical patients as well as commercial goods through the border.
An implementation of the agreement would have broken years of Israel’s blockade against the coastal Palestinian enclave while it would take the wind out of the sails of elements within Hamas who have been involved in the insurgency in Egypt’s North Sinai province after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood linked Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Hamas, for its part, reviewed the agreement with skepticism, raising questions about the viability of its implementation. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said that Hamas had not been officially informed about the agreement through the appropriate channels, indicating that Hamas was likely to oppose it.
Al-Azzam, for his part, commented on the point, saying that Hamas would have to answer to the people of Gaza if it opposed the agreement and to explain to them why it opposed an agreement that could break years of siege on Gaza.
The continued impasse between the Al-Fatah dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas has thus far prevented the implementation of the agreement, of which the control of the Palestinian side of the border by Palestinian government officials is the main issue.
As long as this impasse continues, it will be the residents of the Gaza Strip who will have to rely on goods smuggled through tunnels and the control over their lives and economy by rivaling factions and Mafia-like black-market structures.
30 aug 2016
By Hossam Shaker
The world watched intently the touching story of a tiger rescued from miserable conditions in a zoo with very scarce resources.
That zoo is now best known as the worst of its kind in the world. The story ended at this point in most media coverage: beautiful beast; better life elsewhere; happy ending.
It would, though, have been useful to explain that the zoo’s main problem is that it is located within a very large open-air prison called the Gaza Strip, which lies at the south-west corner of the Mediterranean Sea.
Saving a few creatures while the cameras are rolling is certainly a noble and impressive act and the animal rights organisation involved deserves to be congratulated for a successful mission.
It was a symbolic mission, however, as it will not solve the dilemma faced by all of the Palestinians living in Gaza.
The significance of this event is that the Gaza Strip is changing under the pressure of immoral policies; very soon it will – in the words of UN officials – be “unliveable”.
In reality, therefore, saving a tiger or whatever from Gaza’s zoo does not mean a happy ending, because the conditions which caused the animals so much distress are still the same; indeed, they are getting worse, for human beings as well as the animals.
Furthermore, this situation is not the result of a natural disaster or a crisis of resources; the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is entirely manmade.
Politicians in Israel sat around a table and made a conscious decision to impose a siege on the Gaza Strip, home to two million people and many other creatures, including Lazeez (“Delicious”) the tiger; it has lasted for more than 10 years.
Lazeez is lucky to have escaped from the systematic misery imposed on everyone in the territory. The Israel-led siege stifles all possibilities of a decent life. One of its consequences is that Gaza now has the worst zoo in the world.
Moreover, the tiger is not the only creature to be affected; livestock on Gaza’s farms also suffer, along with the farmers; and plants and crops are damaged as the environment takes a hit too.
Israel must be held to account for this catastrophe, for which it is entirely responsible. Instead, we are being fed the propaganda that Israel has helped to give Lazeez a better life; that Israel cares about animals and that it maintains high humanitarian and moral standards.
Such propaganda would have us ignore the siege instigated and led by Israel which created the conditions about which the animal rights group was so concerned.
Believe me, the conditions for every living thing in Gaza are miserable, not just at the zoo.
The Israeli siege has damaged Gaza immeasurably. Its frequent military offensives target livestock and poultry, destroying not only the animals but also the livelihoods of their owners. The environment has also been targeted, destroying the local biosphere, with knock-on effects for all creatures, including migratory birds.
All of this is in addition to Israel’s destruction of the infrastructure necessary for sustainable human existence. Hence, the UN warning about Gaza becoming “unliveable”.
Lazeez the tiger may have been rescued from an appalling situation, but that is no thanks to Israel, which is responsible for creating that situation and those appalling conditions in the first place.
The animal rights group has done its job in this instance; now it’s time for the human rights groups to have similar success.
The article was published in the Middle East Monitor website.
The world watched intently the touching story of a tiger rescued from miserable conditions in a zoo with very scarce resources.
That zoo is now best known as the worst of its kind in the world. The story ended at this point in most media coverage: beautiful beast; better life elsewhere; happy ending.
It would, though, have been useful to explain that the zoo’s main problem is that it is located within a very large open-air prison called the Gaza Strip, which lies at the south-west corner of the Mediterranean Sea.
Saving a few creatures while the cameras are rolling is certainly a noble and impressive act and the animal rights organisation involved deserves to be congratulated for a successful mission.
It was a symbolic mission, however, as it will not solve the dilemma faced by all of the Palestinians living in Gaza.
The significance of this event is that the Gaza Strip is changing under the pressure of immoral policies; very soon it will – in the words of UN officials – be “unliveable”.
In reality, therefore, saving a tiger or whatever from Gaza’s zoo does not mean a happy ending, because the conditions which caused the animals so much distress are still the same; indeed, they are getting worse, for human beings as well as the animals.
Furthermore, this situation is not the result of a natural disaster or a crisis of resources; the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is entirely manmade.
Politicians in Israel sat around a table and made a conscious decision to impose a siege on the Gaza Strip, home to two million people and many other creatures, including Lazeez (“Delicious”) the tiger; it has lasted for more than 10 years.
Lazeez is lucky to have escaped from the systematic misery imposed on everyone in the territory. The Israel-led siege stifles all possibilities of a decent life. One of its consequences is that Gaza now has the worst zoo in the world.
Moreover, the tiger is not the only creature to be affected; livestock on Gaza’s farms also suffer, along with the farmers; and plants and crops are damaged as the environment takes a hit too.
Israel must be held to account for this catastrophe, for which it is entirely responsible. Instead, we are being fed the propaganda that Israel has helped to give Lazeez a better life; that Israel cares about animals and that it maintains high humanitarian and moral standards.
Such propaganda would have us ignore the siege instigated and led by Israel which created the conditions about which the animal rights group was so concerned.
Believe me, the conditions for every living thing in Gaza are miserable, not just at the zoo.
The Israeli siege has damaged Gaza immeasurably. Its frequent military offensives target livestock and poultry, destroying not only the animals but also the livelihoods of their owners. The environment has also been targeted, destroying the local biosphere, with knock-on effects for all creatures, including migratory birds.
All of this is in addition to Israel’s destruction of the infrastructure necessary for sustainable human existence. Hence, the UN warning about Gaza becoming “unliveable”.
Lazeez the tiger may have been rescued from an appalling situation, but that is no thanks to Israel, which is responsible for creating that situation and those appalling conditions in the first place.
The animal rights group has done its job in this instance; now it’s time for the human rights groups to have similar success.
The article was published in the Middle East Monitor website.
Usama Kahil, head of the Palestinian Contractors Union, warned of the continuation of cement quantity reduction.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC on Tuesday, Kahil slammed international and local institutions as well as popular bodies for turning a deaf ear to Israeli reduction of the allowed cement quantity into Gaza.
He revealed that the quantity of cement was limited to 80 out of 140 trucks.
This has badly affected contractor companies since quantities of cement take weeks to enter the Gaza Strip in order to complete a single project which causes a lot of financial losses, he said.
Kahil pointed out that the UN mechanism for Gaza reconstruction has been failing to meet anticipated results since Israeli occupation authorities did not abide by it under false pretexts.
Contractors have been calling for cancelling the UN mechanism, he underlined. Kahil appealed to Palestinian officials in order to contact Israeli occupation authorities to solve this crisis and pressure Israeli occupation by heading to international concerned institutions.
Escalated steps might be pursued by Gazan contractors in order to provide required cement quantities, he said.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC on Tuesday, Kahil slammed international and local institutions as well as popular bodies for turning a deaf ear to Israeli reduction of the allowed cement quantity into Gaza.
He revealed that the quantity of cement was limited to 80 out of 140 trucks.
This has badly affected contractor companies since quantities of cement take weeks to enter the Gaza Strip in order to complete a single project which causes a lot of financial losses, he said.
Kahil pointed out that the UN mechanism for Gaza reconstruction has been failing to meet anticipated results since Israeli occupation authorities did not abide by it under false pretexts.
Contractors have been calling for cancelling the UN mechanism, he underlined. Kahil appealed to Palestinian officials in order to contact Israeli occupation authorities to solve this crisis and pressure Israeli occupation by heading to international concerned institutions.
Escalated steps might be pursued by Gazan contractors in order to provide required cement quantities, he said.
25 aug 2016
In what is being called "a complex operation," a group of animals including a tiger were transferred from the Gaza Strip to Israel – on their way to new homes.
In a coordinated effort between several Israeli government agencies and Palestinian officials, special cages, veterinary equipment and medicines were brought into the Gaza Strip to facilitate care of the animals before the actual transfer, a statement released from the Israeli Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry said.
"Given the less than satisfactory conditions and in the absence of the ability to continue caring for the animals at the Khan Yunis zoo, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry assisted and coordinated the transfer of the animals to zoos in Israel and around the world," said Uri Madar from the Agriculture Ministry Gaza Coordination and Liaison Office.
The animals included the tiger, five monkeys, two ostriches, two gazelles, two tortoises, a swan and a porcupine. They're the last animals left in the Khan Yunis zoo in southern Gaza. Operation of the zoo had become difficult in recent years.
The animals will be transferred to zoos in South Africa, Jordan and Israel.
An organization called "Four Paws" initiated the move and said what it called the "worst zoo in the world" had finally been closed.
"Over the last two years, the ministry transferred lions, a horse and other animals," Madar said. "Our veterinary services have been continually active and are devoted to the welfare and health of the animals. We are delighted and moved every time we are able to be of assistance in saving the lives of animals."
The operation was unusual because it involved permission from the terror group Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli cities, farms and villages.
In a coordinated effort between several Israeli government agencies and Palestinian officials, special cages, veterinary equipment and medicines were brought into the Gaza Strip to facilitate care of the animals before the actual transfer, a statement released from the Israeli Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry said.
"Given the less than satisfactory conditions and in the absence of the ability to continue caring for the animals at the Khan Yunis zoo, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry assisted and coordinated the transfer of the animals to zoos in Israel and around the world," said Uri Madar from the Agriculture Ministry Gaza Coordination and Liaison Office.
The animals included the tiger, five monkeys, two ostriches, two gazelles, two tortoises, a swan and a porcupine. They're the last animals left in the Khan Yunis zoo in southern Gaza. Operation of the zoo had become difficult in recent years.
The animals will be transferred to zoos in South Africa, Jordan and Israel.
An organization called "Four Paws" initiated the move and said what it called the "worst zoo in the world" had finally been closed.
"Over the last two years, the ministry transferred lions, a horse and other animals," Madar said. "Our veterinary services have been continually active and are devoted to the welfare and health of the animals. We are delighted and moved every time we are able to be of assistance in saving the lives of animals."
The operation was unusual because it involved permission from the terror group Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli cities, farms and villages.
23 aug 2016
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have been closing two of three entrances to Hizma town, northeast of Occupied Jerusalem, for about one month.
The closure of these entrances has obstructed the movement of the residents and affected them economically.
However, the Israeli army claims that its forces have closed one entrance to the town and sometimes close another one as a measure to prevent stone-throwing attacks on Jewish settlers and their vehicles.
Spokesman for Hamoked center for the defense of the individual Yadin Elam condemned the Israeli army's justification for its measure as reprehensible and unrealistic.
"There is no connection between the goal of reducing stone-throwing incidents and the closure of entrances to Hizma town," Elma stated in a letter addressed to central command chief Roni Numa.
"This closure is punishment against 8,000 citizens living in the town, although most of them have nothing to do with stone-throwing events," he added.
The closure of these entrances has obstructed the movement of the residents and affected them economically.
However, the Israeli army claims that its forces have closed one entrance to the town and sometimes close another one as a measure to prevent stone-throwing attacks on Jewish settlers and their vehicles.
Spokesman for Hamoked center for the defense of the individual Yadin Elam condemned the Israeli army's justification for its measure as reprehensible and unrealistic.
"There is no connection between the goal of reducing stone-throwing incidents and the closure of entrances to Hizma town," Elma stated in a letter addressed to central command chief Roni Numa.
"This closure is punishment against 8,000 citizens living in the town, although most of them have nothing to do with stone-throwing events," he added.
22 aug 2016
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) confiscated 1,198 Jordanian dinars from the wife of Khalil Assaf, head of the Palestinian independent personalities’ assembly in the West Bank, after detaining her for hours while heading to Jordan via al-Karama crossing.
Khalil Assaf revealed that the IOF stopped him along with his wife and children at the crossing and searched them twice.
Then, they rounded up his wife and took her to the police station of Ma'aleh Adumim where they detained her until three o’clock in the morning, he added.
Khalil Assaf revealed that the IOF stopped him along with his wife and children at the crossing and searched them twice.
Then, they rounded up his wife and took her to the police station of Ma'aleh Adumim where they detained her until three o’clock in the morning, he added.
20 aug 2016
The National Anti-Siege and Reconstruction Movement Commission has announced the launch of its second week of events as part of the international campaign to break Gaza blockade.
Spokeswoman for the commission Mona Sakik told a news conference held in Gaza Port Saturday morning that the campaign would be organized in different countries around the world under the slogan "Hand in hand against the siege."
Sakik added that a massive maritime rally would be staged in Gaza waters in addition to a sit-in on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.
She noted that a statement on Israel's violations in Gaza would be released as part of the events. The campaign events, which will start today (August 20), will be held for one week.
Spokeswoman for the commission Mona Sakik told a news conference held in Gaza Port Saturday morning that the campaign would be organized in different countries around the world under the slogan "Hand in hand against the siege."
Sakik added that a massive maritime rally would be staged in Gaza waters in addition to a sit-in on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.
She noted that a statement on Israel's violations in Gaza would be released as part of the events. The campaign events, which will start today (August 20), will be held for one week.
18 aug 2016
Palestinian activists reopened on Wednesday a road that was sealed off by the Israeli occupation army in Nablus’ southern town of Qasra on Tuesday.
Director of the Agricultural Relief in Nablus, Dhirar Abu Omar, said local activists and foreign volunteers partially reopened the road so as to allow farmers and vehicles access out of and into the area.
Dozens of Palestinian farmers could not reach their lands after the Israeli occupation soldiers sealed off a road in Qasra town.
Director of the Agricultural Relief in Nablus, Dhirar Abu Omar, said local activists and foreign volunteers partially reopened the road so as to allow farmers and vehicles access out of and into the area.
Dozens of Palestinian farmers could not reach their lands after the Israeli occupation soldiers sealed off a road in Qasra town.
16 aug 2016
Israeli arbitrary procedures against the Palestinians at Erez Crossing resulted in the death of a Palestinian patient, Yousef Younis, as he was not allowed to reach hospital, according to al-Mezan Center For Human Rights.
Al-Mezan said Israeli forces arrested and tortured the Palestinian blood cancer patient Yousef Younis, 19, from northern Gaza Strip at an Israeli checkpoint on his way to hospital.
Yousef’s story Al-Mezan stated that Israeli forces arrested Yousef on April 14, 2016 at an Israeli checkpoint near Arraba southwest of Jenin, after he had passed through Erez Crossing to get to An-Najah National University Hospital for treatment.
Yousef told al-Mezan’s lawyer after he was released that he had been kept in Israeli Asqalan (Ashkelon) prison for 13 days.
There, he was physically and psychologically tortured. He was cuffed and forced to sit on a small iron stool, and he was verbally insulted, extorted and blackmailed.
On June 28, he got an appointment for treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in occupied Jerusalem. He stayed in hospital until July 5, and then he returned to Gaza waiting for a new appointment to undergo bone marrow transplant surgery.
When he got an appointment for the surgery at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital on July 11, he applied for an Israeli permit to leave Gaza, but he was denied.
Four days later, Yousef received a call from the Israeli Intelligence trying to blackmail him to work as a collaborator for the Israeli military in return for a permission to leave Gaza.
When he refused, he was denied leaving Gaza until he died on August 8. Violations According to al-Mezan, the Israeli authorities continue to break the international humanitarian law by depriving the Palestinian civilians of the Gaza Strip of their rights to movement and receiving treatment.
Since the start of the year 2016, the Israeli forces have arrested 20 Palestinians at Erez Crossing, of whom 5 were patients and 4 attendants. Israel is still ignoring 67 patients’ applications from Gaza to leave through Erez Crossing for treatment.
Al-Mezan said Israeli forces arrested and tortured the Palestinian blood cancer patient Yousef Younis, 19, from northern Gaza Strip at an Israeli checkpoint on his way to hospital.
Yousef’s story Al-Mezan stated that Israeli forces arrested Yousef on April 14, 2016 at an Israeli checkpoint near Arraba southwest of Jenin, after he had passed through Erez Crossing to get to An-Najah National University Hospital for treatment.
Yousef told al-Mezan’s lawyer after he was released that he had been kept in Israeli Asqalan (Ashkelon) prison for 13 days.
There, he was physically and psychologically tortured. He was cuffed and forced to sit on a small iron stool, and he was verbally insulted, extorted and blackmailed.
On June 28, he got an appointment for treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in occupied Jerusalem. He stayed in hospital until July 5, and then he returned to Gaza waiting for a new appointment to undergo bone marrow transplant surgery.
When he got an appointment for the surgery at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital on July 11, he applied for an Israeli permit to leave Gaza, but he was denied.
Four days later, Yousef received a call from the Israeli Intelligence trying to blackmail him to work as a collaborator for the Israeli military in return for a permission to leave Gaza.
When he refused, he was denied leaving Gaza until he died on August 8. Violations According to al-Mezan, the Israeli authorities continue to break the international humanitarian law by depriving the Palestinian civilians of the Gaza Strip of their rights to movement and receiving treatment.
Since the start of the year 2016, the Israeli forces have arrested 20 Palestinians at Erez Crossing, of whom 5 were patients and 4 attendants. Israel is still ignoring 67 patients’ applications from Gaza to leave through Erez Crossing for treatment.
15 aug 2016
A state of panic flared up on Sunday evening as the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rolled into the occupied West Bank and cracked down on civilians.
According to a PIC journalist, dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers stormed Bab al-Zaouia area in al-Khalil and cracked down on Palestinian civilians.
At the same time, the IOF intensified military presence around Jenin’s southern village of Qabatiya and the nearby villages.
A military checkpoint was pitched by the occupation troops on the Jenin-Nablus crossroads, where Palestinian passengers and vehicles were subjected to provocative inspection.
The IOF further sealed off the main entrances to Hawara town, in southern Nablus, on claims that a settler’s vehicle was stoned.
A traffic jam cropped up as the IOF closed the Hawara and Zaatara military checkpoints. Israeli reconnaissance warplanes were, meanwhile, detected flying over the eastern areas of Nablus province.
According to a PIC journalist, dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers stormed Bab al-Zaouia area in al-Khalil and cracked down on Palestinian civilians.
At the same time, the IOF intensified military presence around Jenin’s southern village of Qabatiya and the nearby villages.
A military checkpoint was pitched by the occupation troops on the Jenin-Nablus crossroads, where Palestinian passengers and vehicles were subjected to provocative inspection.
The IOF further sealed off the main entrances to Hawara town, in southern Nablus, on claims that a settler’s vehicle was stoned.
A traffic jam cropped up as the IOF closed the Hawara and Zaatara military checkpoints. Israeli reconnaissance warplanes were, meanwhile, detected flying over the eastern areas of Nablus province.
13 aug 2016
The Israeli occupation army at dawn Saturday threatened to build a fence around Ya'bad town in Jenin if local young men continued to hurl stones at Israeli cars traveling on the nearby main road.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the Israeli army imposed a tight siege on the town on Friday evening before a large number of its troops stormed it at dawn today, amid intensive tear gas attacks.
They added that several citizens suffered from inhaling tear gas inside their homes.
During its campaign in the town, the occupation troops put up notices on the walls of some homes threatening to take harsh measures against Ya'bad residents if they did not prevent their children from stoning Israeli cars.
The Israeli army also warned that it might surround the town with a fence if stone-throwing attacks persisted.
According to the same sources, Israeli soldiers questioned and maltreated citizens in the town, with no reported arrests.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the Israeli army imposed a tight siege on the town on Friday evening before a large number of its troops stormed it at dawn today, amid intensive tear gas attacks.
They added that several citizens suffered from inhaling tear gas inside their homes.
During its campaign in the town, the occupation troops put up notices on the walls of some homes threatening to take harsh measures against Ya'bad residents if they did not prevent their children from stoning Israeli cars.
The Israeli army also warned that it might surround the town with a fence if stone-throwing attacks persisted.
According to the same sources, Israeli soldiers questioned and maltreated citizens in the town, with no reported arrests.
